Intro

Welcome to our Big News section for all the latest news concerning Military Disability.

We'll do our best to keep you up to date on everything that could affect your disability. Since the majority of our news will cover legal issues that can be dragged out for a long time, if you'd like an update on an issue, let us know, and we'll do what we can.

Please feel free to comment and submit questions. We want to give you the information you need, so help us by letting us know what you want to know.

Monday, September 12, 2016

On
August 18, 2016, the VA announced their newest pilot program. The Service Dogs
Benefit Pilot will provide veterinary benefits for service dogs approved for disabled veterans with mental disorders with a chronic impairment that limits their
mobility.

The
VA already provides veterinary benefits for guide dogs belonging to veterans
with impaired hearing, vision, or mobility. This pilot program will extend
these benefits to veterans with mental disorders for whom a service dog has
been determined to provide the best way for that veteran to live independently.

Service
dogs are specially trained to perform tasks or services for a specific person
who has a disability which makes it impossible for them to do the task or work
on their own so they can live independently. This specialized training is what
makes service dogs different from comfort animals or pets. In order to qualify
for the veterinary benefits, a service dog must have been trained according to
VA regulations by a group or organization accredited by Assistance Dogs
International.

Medical
care provided under the veterinary service benefits include annual wellness
visits, immunizations, dental care, screenings, urgent or emergency care,
prescriptions, and other treatments that help the dog provide service to the
veteran. For more information on the VA’s service dog program, please go to http://www.prosthetics.va.gov/ServiceAndGuideDogs.asp.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

September is Suicide Prevention Month and the VA is kicking
off its new campaign, #BeThere, by asking family, friends, co-workers,
employers—basically the entire community—to #BeThere for our veterans and service
members with simple caring acts to help reduce the risk of suicide.

Dr. Caitlin Thompson, Director of VA Office of Suicide
Prevention, said, “You
don’t have to be a trained professional to support someone who may be going
through a difficult time. We want to let people know that things they do every
day, like calling an old friend or checking in with a neighbor, are strong
preventive factors for suicide because they help people feel less alone. That’s
what this campaign is about—encouraging people to be there for each other.”

The
VA hopes that the #BeThere campaign will help make people aware of the many
resources available through the VA for veterans and service members at risk for
suicide or who are struggling with mental health issues.

In
addition, the VA is launching a new program this month called REACH VET, which
will help identify vulnerable veterans under VA care and get them the help they
need before they reach crisis mode.

All
of the resources listed below are available to ANY veteran or service member.
You do NOT need to be registered or enrolled with the VA to use these services.

- The Veterans Crisis Line is available 24 hours a day.
You may call 1-800-273-8255 and then press 1, you can text 838255, or chat
online atVeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat.

- The Veterans Center Combat Call Centers are also
available 24/7 to combat veterans or service members serving in a combat area.
These call centers are staffed by other combat veterans. Call 1-877-WAR-VETS
(927-8387).

- A Suicide Prevention Month Tool Kit that can be used to
help spread the word in your community about veteran suicide prevention is
available at veteranscrisisline.net/spreadtheword.

If
you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health issues or thinking
about suicide, we urge you to talk to someone you know or contact any of the
crisis lines listed above. Most communities also have local crisis lines that
you can use. Help is available—just ask.

Search

About Me

As a retired Air Force Colonel and physician, I am a Military Disability and VA Disability specialist. As a physician, I have specialties in preventive medicine, occupational medicine, and healthcare administration. While on active duty, I had direct responsibility over preventive medicine for all military members in deployed environments and contingency operations. Since retiring, I have worked as a contractor for the Physical Disability Board of Review (PDBR), reviewing military disability cases, and for the VA, performing C&P exams.